TLT!

Tempeh, lettuce and tomato!

According to Wikipedia: "Tempeh is a traditional soy product originally from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that bindssoybeans into a cake form, similar to a very firm vegetarian burger patty. Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but tempeh is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities.Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber and vitamins. It has a firm texture and an earthy flavor which becomes more pronounced as the tempeh ages."

Reading about all it's good attributes, I purchased maple bacon flavored tempeh. The strips that I sauteed lightly in a small amount of canola oil in my trusty non-stick pan, smelled wonderful. My first impression after tasting, was less than wonderful. No, it did not taste like bacon, however I have to report a smoky, mildly nutty taste. "Not bad," I said to myself. Probably not something I would eat out right by itself until I get used to the taste. In a sandwich using a good quality bread (like my marble rye) with lettuce and tomato, the strips really do have a bacon-like taste.

Nothing will ever replace bacon but then again, I didn't have to harm a cute pig for the flavor. I can most definitely live with that!

Rosemary Scones

Cold rainy days scream out for a warm bowl of soup and rosemary scones!

My vegetable soup came together quickly from items I already had in the pantry and fridge. I try to always keep cans of diced tomatoes, corn and beans in the house.

I sauteed in a couple of teaspoons of EVOO, a small white onion(chopped) , one clove of garlic(chopped), and 2 each of carrots and celery (diced). Once all those were softened, I added a large container of diced tomatoes and a couple cups of vegetable stock. Next in the pot went one can each of sweet corn, black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, and green beans. All were drained and rinsed before adding. For flavor, I added a few fresh basil leaves and a bunch of cilantro chopped. Salt and pepper completed the soup.

The scone recipe came from www.Food.com. Click on the link for the recipe: Rosemary Scones

I used Earth Balance butter and I actually used 3 tablespoons instead of only one. Instead of milk, I used unsweetened soy milk. These mixed up quickly and resulted in a light and fluffy scone.

Breakfast of Champions

My days of eating those sugary oatmeal packets are long over. Today I dressed up my plain oatmeal with raisins, pomegranate, and chia seeds. The raisins are sweet and chewy, while the pomegranate seeds are slightly tart and crunchy. The Chia seeds add extra protein to the dish.

Korean Beefless Beef Tips

This spicy and sweet dish originally call for ground beef. I veganized it by using Gardein beefless tips. Click on the link for the recipe: ElizabethBryantBlogspot

Vegan Double Stuffed Oreos

I love cookies and these amazing Oreo tasting treats deliver! The recipe comes from the Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. These ladies have really figured the vegan baking thing out.

I followed their recipe to the T, which is surprisingly unusual for me. Due to time constraints, however, I decided not to roll the dough and instead I used my cookie "shooter thingy." Had I rolled the dough and used a cookie cutter, which for some reason I don't own, they would appear more Oreo-like. Note to self: find and purchase a round cookie cutter!

"Wicked" Spicy Thai Inspirations

Both these recipes came from the cook book, "Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Very spicy and full of flavor, yet low in fat, both these recipes will satisfy even the omnivores!

Unbeknownst, to me until I read this book, it is helpful to press your tofu prior to sautéing it. Remove the block of extra firm tofu from the container. Then wrap your tofu in a clean kitchen towel and place something heavy on the towel such as a small frying pan with a couple of cans in it. After a few minutes you will notice the that the towel becomes moist from soaking up the extra fluid and your tofu is more compact and dryer. Your tofu is now ready to be cut up into cubes or slices for your recipe.

Red Pepper Spaghetti Sauce

This dinner started out with a small eggplant given to me from my friend's garden. It was too small to make eggplant parm out of it, so I decided to build a meal around it. I grabbed a few ingredients that I had readily available and started cooking. First things first, I put a pot of water on the stove to bring to boil for the whole grain thin spaghetti. In the meantime, I started my fresh sauce by placing a small quartered onion, one clove of elephant garlic, 3 tomatoes, and a few basil leaves in the blender. Once well blended. I poured the mixture into an already heated pan coated with a few tbsp of EVOO. After cooking for a few minutes, I added some well drained and roughly chopped roasted red peppers to the pan.

While the sauce simmered, I prepared the eggplant by pealing it and slicing it into thin 1/4 inch coins. Since the eggplant was basically going to be a garnish, I decided to bread it and fry it. I used EnerG egg replacement (3 tsps powder dissolved in 4 tbsp warm water) and whole wheat vegan crumbs(with salt, pepper, garlic powder and dry italian herbs) to bread the eggplant. I fried those babies up in corn oil.

The sauce seemed very watery so I added one tbsp of vegan cream cheese to thicken it a little bit. Don't tell anyone but I also sprinkled some nutritional yeast flakes for a little added flavor. Somewhere in the middle I cooked & drained the pasta. I served it without cheese for me and with some shredded parmesan cheese for the omnivores in the house!